All votes in Johnson County have been marked on paper ballots since 2018 when new voting equipment was implemented. Many voters choose to use a touchscreen ballot marking device to vote their ballots. Full-size hand-marked paper ballots are always an option for those who prefer to vote in that manner.
For those who use the touchscreen, a ballot card will be issued during the check-in process. The blank ballot card will be inserted into the voting machine by an election worker. After marking and reviewing contest and question selections on the touchscreen, the voting machine will print your selections on the ballot card. Review your voted selections on the marked ballot card before inserting it into the ballot scanner for counting and secure storage.
For voters who prefer a hand-marked ballot, the correct full-size paper ballot will be issued to you after checking in. You will use an ink pen to fill in the ovals next to the names of the candidates you wish to vote for. After voting, you will review your selections on the ballot before inserting it into the ballot scanner for counting and secure storage.
Voters who elect to receive their ballots by mail, or who need to vote curbside at a voting location will mark their votes on a full-size paper ballot.
Sample Ballots
Sample ballots are available for all major elections approximately three weeks before Election Day. To view your sample ballot, visit VoterView and look up your voter information. A link to your sample ballot will be provided.
Rotation of Candidate Names on Ballot
Kansas law requires that candidate names be rotated by precinct. Ballot rotation ensures that candidates receive a equal opportunity to be the first name in the list of candidates for a contest.
The initial candidate order is alphabetical. After that, the number of registered voters in a district is divided by the number of candidates to determine the number of registrants in each rotation. Precincts are assigned to rotations to achieve the most equal breakdown of registered voters.
This process is calculated and completed for each contest on the ballot with the exception of precinct committee offices, 3rd class city offices, and drainage district offices, which are not subject to rotation.
Write-In Candidates
When a voter chooses to vote for a write-in candidate not printed on the ballot, each write-in candidate must be individually reviewed to determine eligibility status.
The list of valid voted write-in candidates will be available after the election canvass.
Write-in lines are not available in every contest, particularly in partisan primary elections when candidates are nominated.
When no write-in line is present for a contest, write-in votes are not allowed. Any names written on that portion of the ballot will be ignored.
Spoiled Ballots
A ballot wrongly marked, defaced or torn must be returned to the judges and exchanged for a replacement ballot.
No ballot can be taken from the polling place. No ballot may be voted except ballots received from an election judge.
Provisional Ballots
Provisional ballots are voted when a voter's registration is in question or challenged on the grounds of citizenship, age, residence or registration, or when election records indicate the voter was already sent an advance ballot.
At the partisan primary election, the voter may be challenged on party affiliation.
Provisional ballots are sealed in special envelopes after being marked by the voter, and they are each individually researched and verified at the Election Office prior to presenting them to the Board of Canvassers.
Provisional voters are given information telling them how to find out if their provisional ballots were counted and, if not, why.
Assistance To Voters
Any voter unable to mark his or her ballot by reason of illness, disability or lack of proficiency in reading the English language may request assistance in voting.
Upon request, the voter shall be accompanied to the voting booth by a person chosen by the voter or, if no person is chosen, by two members of the election board of different political parties, who shall mark the ballot as such voter directs.
To Vote Your Ballot
Select your choice on the touchscreen or mark the paper ballot in the oval to the left of the names of the persons or questions for which you wish to vote.
To vote for a person whose name is not printed on the ballot, write the name in the blank space under the proper office title and mark the oval at the left of the name on a paper ballot. Type in the name on the touchscreen devise after selecting the write-in option. Do not write in any name that is printed on the ballot.
It is unlawful to place any mark other than in the oval, or to deface or tear a ballot. Do not make any marks on the ballot that would in any way identify it as your ballot. Any such marks will invalidate your ballot.
A paper ballot contains a unique mark in the box printed at the bottom of the ballot to ensure that no fraudulent ballots are returned. This unique mark is the same on every ballot and will not identify any individual ballot.
You cannot occupy a voting booth more than five minutes if other voters are waiting and all booths are occupied.
Check your marked ballot to see that you have voted for all offices and questions for which you wish to vote.
If you vote for more choices than allowed, your vote will not be counted on that portion of the ballot.
After marking your ballot, insert it into the ballot scanner for counting and secure storage, or request a hand count envelope for the ballot to be sealed and secured.
Do not allow any person to intimidate or coerce you into voting a particular way or to exercise undue influence on your vote.
No one should handle your marked ballot unless you request their assistance.